The group standing around Xiang Ge all looked at her with eyes filled only with joy and admiration—no jealousy, no hatred.
“Xiang Ge, can I take a look at the purification fruit?” Shen Cheng asked eagerly, rubbing his hands on his pants as he stared at the fruit.
“Of course—”
Xiang Ge’s words were cut off mid-sentence. Her expression suddenly sharpened.
“Quick—put all the low-radiation fruits onto the pickup truck. We’re leaving!”
To prevent mutant beast ambushes, Xiang Ge’s mental perception had always been spread out in a small range.
But at this moment, she felt a surge of intense life-signals underground—like something was struggling to break out of the earth. It gave her a very bad feeling.
That signal was so strong that she was certain none of them could handle it.
“What is it?” Ye Zheng reacted first, cautiously scanning the surroundings—but saw nothing.
“Something’s coming out. Move!”
Xiang Ge made the decision instantly, stuffing the purification fruit into her backpack.
She grabbed handfuls of low-radiation fruit, stuffing them in as well. When there was no space left, she shoved them into her pockets.
Seeing her actions, the others no longer hesitated and rushed back to pack their own low-radiation fruit.
“Move fast! No time! Abandon the medium-radiation fruit!”
Xiang Ge shouted while running toward the pickup truck.
There were too many medium-radiation fruits—they couldn’t take them all. Whatever was underground was about to break out.
Even though they didn’t fully understand what she meant, after spending several days together, they all knew Xiang Ge wasn’t unreliable.
That trust made everyone move quickly.
Soon they all returned to the pickup.
Ye Zheng drove, Shen Cheng sat in the passenger seat.
Because of the extra bags of fruit, only one person could sit in the back row.
Xiang Ge pushed Shao Wan inside, while she and Shao Ya sat in the truck bed with weapons.
The low-radiation fruits were too important to leave exposed in the back.
No one dared risk it.
Just as Ye Zheng turned the key and the pickup began to rumble—
The ground of the orchard shook violently.
“An earthquake?” Shao Ya’s scalp tingled as she looked at the scene.
“No. Something big is coming out,” Xiang Ge said, staring ahead.
At the center of the orchard, the soil and fruit trees were being violently pushed upward.
A massive claw burst out from the ground.
Even before seeing its full body, Xiang Ge immediately recognized it after days of killing lizards.
That was a lizard’s foot.
It was over.
They had killed too many small and large lizards—now the “ancestor” had come for revenge.
She thought this bitterly.
The pickup had already started, but it was still stuck, rumbling in place as everyone anxiously watched the center of the orchard.
A huge head had already emerged. Two front limbs were pushing upward, trying to climb out.
Its size was even larger than the pickup truck.
Xiang Ge wasn’t even sure if her long blade could pierce its armor-like skin.
Shao Ya slammed the truck body hard.
“Go! Or I’ll scrap you when we get back!”
In such a situation, Xiang Ge oddly found it a little funny.
When they got in, she had wondered if this old junker could outrun a mutated beast—and now it had actually come true.
Fortunately, just as all four of the giant lizard’s limbs touched the ground, the pickup finally moved.
Ye Zheng drove at maximum speed, racing out of the orchard.
“Phew… phew…” Shao Ya panted, clutching her chest once they were a safe distance away.
Even Shen Cheng leaned out and asked if they were okay.
Okay?
Xiang Ge didn’t think so.
Her mental perception was fully expanded—and she could clearly feel that enormous life signal was chasing them.
Worse still, it was faster than the pickup.
It was catching up.
“Don’t slow down. It’s coming,” Xiang Ge said.
That single sentence made Shen Cheng and Shao Ya freeze.
Shen Cheng immediately told Ye Zheng to speed up even more.
But it wasn’t enough.
Xiang Ge shook her head inwardly.
This fight was unavoidable.
Thud—thud—thud.
The giant lizard’s massive body moved quickly despite its size, each step shaking the ground.
Its huge head was already in sight.
“Have you ever dealt with something this big before?” Xiang Ge asked Shao Ya.
“No,” Shao Ya’s face darkened.
Still, she didn’t freeze. She quickly pulled out equipment from the truck bed and assembled a heavy machine gun on the edge of the vehicle.
Any team daring to venture into the wild would always carry weapons.
But this creature was no ordinary mutated beast—it was a higher-tier mutated giant beast.
Not something a normal team could handle.
Xiang Ge understood immediately.
The giant lizard closed in, growing larger in her vision.
Its enormous eyes were now visible—and filled with undisguised fury.
It was locked onto her.
She suddenly had a thought.
Her hand slipped into her backpack and touched the purification fruit at the bottom. She immediately transferred it into her spatial storage.
The moment the fruit disappeared—
The giant lizard suddenly stopped.
It lowered its head and sniffed the air, confusion flashing in its eyes.
But then it saw the pickup again and charged forward in rage.
At that moment, Xiang Ge acted.
She threw her dagger straight into the beast’s eye.
It wasn’t deep enough to be fatal—but the pain was real.
The giant lizard roared in fury.
Shao Ya and Xiang Ge worked together perfectly. A barrage of bullets shot into its other eye.
Ssssss—
One eye destroyed, the other pierced—blinded and in agony, the giant lizard thrashed wildly.
Its massive tail swept across the back of the truck.
Xiang Ge pulled Shao Ya aside and jumped back herself, but she was still a fraction too slow.
Her left arm was struck by the tail.
But in that moment, the pickup accelerated again and finally escaped its sight.
The giant lizard did not continue chasing.
Everyone let out a breath of relief.
For now—they were safe.